1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Sunliner Convertible

 

These comments are from the Wikipedia article on the Google search

 

First generation (1955–1956)

 

For 1955, the Fairlane name replaced the Crestline as Ford's premier full-size offering. Six different body styles were offered, including the Crown Victoria Skyliner with a tinted, transparent plastic roof, the regular Crown Victoria coupe with lots of stainless steel trim, a convertible Sunliner, the Victoria coupe, and traditional sedans. All featured the trademark stainless-steel "Fairlane stripe" on the side. Power options were a 223 CID (3.7 L) straight-6 engine and a 272 CID (4.5 L) V8. The 292 Y-Block was offered as an option and was called the Thunderbird V-8.

Few changes were made for 1956; a four-door Victoria hardtop and two new, more powerful V8 options, of 292 CID (4.8 L) and 312 CID (5.1 L), the latter available up to 225 brake horsepower (168 kW), were introduced. The Lifeguard safety package was introduced.
Second generation (1957–1959)

For 1957, a new style gave a longer, wider, lower and sleeker look with low tailfins. A new top trim level was reversed, the Fairlane 500. For the first time, the lower-level Custom line had a shorter wheelbase than the Fairlane. Engines were largely the same as the year before. The big news for 1957 was the introduction of the Fairlane 500 Skyliner power retractable hardtop, whose solid top hinged and folded down into the trunk space at the touch of a button. Unfortunately, it attracted more attention than sales; the option was expensive, somewhat unreliable, and took up almost all the trunk space when retracted. Even so, it required the roof to be made shorter than the other Fairlanes, and the trunk to be larger. The reason for this was simply that this car was designed, from the ground up, as a Lincoln Continental. Projected losses resulted in a last minute marketing decision to restyle the vehicle, from the bottom of the windows down, as a member of the Fairlane family.

Another facelift for 1958 saw fashionable quad headlights, a grille that matched the 1958 Thunderbird, and other styling changes. New big-block FE V8s of 332 and 352 CID (5.4 L and5.8 L) replaced the previous largest V8s, and a better three-speed automatic transmission was also available.

A new top-level full-size model was introduced at mid-year 1959, the Ford Galaxie.

A Fairlane is featured in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball, and also briefly in the 2002 Bond film Die Another Day.

 

1931 Hupmobile sedan

                      1931 Hupmobile Sedan  

When I was a young man in Atlanta there was an old lady that had a 1917 Hupmobile that was broke down and I stopped to offer assistance but she said "Thank you but my mechanic will be here soon to fix it." I found out that no one but her mechanic had ever worked on that car. That was in the early 1960s and I did a good bit of mechanic work on other kinds of cars. That was, and still is, the only Hupmobile that I had ever seen. One thing very unusual about that car was that it was chain driven somewhat like a bicycle.

The following information is excerpted from a Wikipedia article on the internet.

Hupmobile History

Robert Craig Hupp (June 2, 1877 in Grand Rapids, Michigan – 1931), a former employee of Oldsmobile and Ford, founded the company with his brother Louis Gorham Hupp (November 13, 1872 in Michigan – December 10, 1961 in Michigan) in 1908. Production began in 1909. In 1910, production increased by more than 5000. Following disagreements with his financial backers Robert Hupp sold his stock in the Hupp Motor Car Company and established the short-lived RCH Automobile Company, later the Hupp-Yeats Electric Car Company. In 1912, Hupp would be one of two automakers pioneering the use of all-steel bodies, joining BSA in the UK.^[1] Hupp's panels were produced by Hale & Kilburn, which was run by Edward Budd.^[2] Carl Wickman, a car dealer in Hibbing, Minnesota, used an unsold 7-passenger model as the first vehicle for what became Greyhound.^[3] In 1913 Frank E. Watts was hired as a designer.
Hupp Motor Company continued to grow after its founder left. A new plant was purchased in 1924 as Hupp competed strongly against Ford and Chevrolet. DuBois Young became company president in 1924 moving up from vice-president of manufacturing. By 1928 sales had reached over 65,000 units. To increase production and handle the growth in sales, Hupp purchased the Chandler-Cleveland Motors Corporation (Chandler Motor Car) for its manufacturing facilities. Hupp advertising began to take cues from the romantic Ned Jordan style of automotive prose. A 1930 Hupmobile advertisement read
"A Hupmobile becomes a little more than just a car. He'll lift the hood as a veteran would, and show Hupp's mechanical fineness. He knows! He's driven Hupmobile since the old outdated out-of-context but still-revered early Hupmobiles with the tall steel spout on its radiator. There's something about Hupp's faithfulness that gets to a man. A feeling that hasn't a name. But it's the same as the feeling a seaman gets for his ship, an engineer for his engine, or a woman for her home. He's got as much use for an adjective as a cowboy for a powder puff. He's rough on claims. Promises of what a car can do. He's the old-time Hupmobile owner. He's seen cars come, seen 'em go. Only he won't talk. He'll act! Give you fact after fact, not in words but in deeds, in bullet speeds and 'Big Bertha' power."

1956 Packard Patrician

                               1956 Packard Patrician
The Packard cars were some of the finest and best built cars in America for several decades of the twentieth century when I was growing up and through my adult years. I owned one Packard for a little while about 1952 or 1953. I saw one car like this one, but I don't remember for certain whether it was a Packard or not, that was fixed up like a small living room with a small bar and whiskey storage, a card table and telephone and maybe some other things in it. I tend to think of this car as one that Al Capone or John Dillinger or "Baby Face" Nelson might have had some 30 or 40 years earlier during the Prohibition Years.

The following pictures and articles are taken from the internet Wikipedia encyclopedia

Packard Patrician 400, 1951–1952[edit]

Packard Patrician 1951-1952
Packard Patrician 400 2552 four-door sedan 1952
Overview
Manufacturer	Packard
Production	1951–1952
Body and chassis
Body style	Sedan
Layout	FR
Powertrain
Engine	Packard Straight Eight 327 cu in (5,360 cm3), 150 bhp (112 kW)
Transmission	Ultramatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	3226 mm (127 in)
Length	5580 mm (219,70 in)
Width	1990 mm (78,3 in)
Height	1580 mm (62.2 in)

In 1951 and 1952, the automaker attempted to use a numeric naming structure that designated Packard's least expensive models as Packard 200 and 200 Deluxe while two-door hardtop and convertibles were designated Packard 250 and its mid-range sedan the Packard 300.
The highest trim level available was the Packard Patrician 400. The Patrician 400 replaced the previous model year's Custom 8 model range. The car was easily identified from other Packards by its chrome trim; in 1951 the model featured three chrome ports on its rear fenders and in 1952 the car featured four chrome ports. Patricians and 300s also sported a slightly revised grille which included chrome "teeth" in its oval area in 1951. That change occurred to the 250 series soon after introduction.
The Patrician 400 was available only as a premium, four-door sedan, outfitted with high-grade upholstery and chrome trimming within. For the 1952 model year, Packard retained the services of noted interior decorator Dorothy Draper to bring a fresh look to the interior color scheme. Wilton carpeting and hassock-style rear passenger foot rests were also included with the car. With a list price of $3,662 it also was the most expensive regular Packard offered. The automobile rode upon a 127-inch (3226 mm) wheelbase shared only with the 300 sedan. All other Packards had a wheelbase of 122 inches (3099 mm).
Power for all Packards still came from their venerable in-line eight-cylinder engines. 200s used a 288 cu in (4,720 cm³) unit with 135 bhp (101 kW); all others had a displacement of 327 cu in (5,360 cm³), delivering 150 bhp (112 kW). The Patrician got the best engine Packard had to offer, too. For unequaled smooth operation, its engine featured nine main bearings instead of five as in the other engines without increase in power.
Until 1954, Henney built a few nine-passenger Executive Sedans and Corporate Limousines on a chassis with 148-inch (3759 mm) wheelbase. Derham in Rosemont built very few Patrician Custom Formal Sedans with leather padded roofs, small backlights and elaborate interiors on the standard Patrician frame.
Introduction of the Patrician was, together with most other Packards (250s were delayed), in August 1950. Production totals for 1951 came to 9,001 Patrician 400 units, and 3,975 units for 1952.

The 400 model name was dropped for model years 1953 and 1954; however the Patrician name continued to occupy the premium trim level Packard from 1953 through 1956.

1955–1956[edit]

Packard Patrician 1955-1956
Packard Patrician 1956
Overview
Manufacturer	Packard
Production	1955–1956
Designer	Richard A. Teague
Body and chassis
Body style	Sedan
Layout	FR
Powertrain
Engine	Packard 6.2 1956 V-8 372.5 cid (6135 cc), 290 ps, 211,94kW
Transmission	Twin-Ultramatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	3226 mm (127 in)
Length	5580 mm (219,70 in)
Width	1990 mm (78,3 in)
Height	1580 mm (62.2 in)
Curb weight	2075 kg (4551,73 lbs)

For 1955, the entire senior line of Packards received an extensive design update that freshened the last restyling that was done in 1951. Under designer Richard A. Teague, the Senior Packards received a more modern grille design, "Cathedral"-styled rear tail lights, hooded headlight housings and a new exterior trim layout that afforded Packard the ability to offer two- and three-tone paint combinations with the simplest of masking patterns. While Packard could not afford a whole new greenhouse for the passenger compartment, new trim at the base of the rear pillar made it look like it had a redesigned roofline. The cars were also outfitted with a wrap-around windshield, thus bringing it in line with American automobiles of the era. Inside, upholstery and bright work was also freshened and the cars received a new dashboard layout faced with a machined-look stainless steel facing.
For 1955, the Patrician was offered as a four-door sedan only and Packard produced 9,127 of the cars.
Changes for 1956 included a revised headlight housing that exaggerated the front peak further forward. The area around the headlight was painted black to give the effect of greater depth. The car also received a different grille texture. During the 1956 model year, 3375 Patricians rolled off Packard's production line before the model was dropped by the ailing carmaker.
The final Packard built (that was a true Packard and not a badge-engineered Studebaker President) was a black Patrician sedan, and it rolled off the Packard assembly line on June 25, 1956.

                                      1954 Mercury Monterey

When I was in the army, 1953-1956, I thought the 1954 Mercury up hrough the 1956 Mercury was the best looking cars on the road. When I got out of the army in 1956 I was dating a girl in Phenix City, Alabame and we were talking about marriage and I had in mind to buy a 1956 Mercury Monterey for a wedding present for her. As it turned out we split up and didn't get married so I didn't buy the car. I guess that was best anyway since I later met and married my wife and we have now been together for 52 years and still together now. Anyway here is a little information about the car for you to read and ponder about.

The Mercury Monterey is a full-size car model introduced by the Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company in 1952. It would later share the same body style with the slightly more upscale Marquis, and the Park Lane and Montclair until the latter two were extinguished after the 1968 model year. The Marquis-Monterey body was, built on a longer wheelbase and had a longer body than the Ford LTD, Ford Galaxie, and Ford Custom. During its production the car served as the high-end, mid-range, and entry-level fullsize Mercury at various times throughout its run. It was the only Mercury to be in continuous production throughout the 1960s.[1] The Monterey was discontinued after 1974.

In 2004, Mercury resurrected the Monterey nameplate for a minivan, essentially a re-badged Ford Freestar with added features and modified cosmetic details.
Early History

The Monterey (model 72C) was introduced in 1950 as a high-end two-door coupe as part of the Mercury Eight series in the same vein as the Ford Crestliner, the Lincoln Lido coupe and the Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri coupe in order to compete with the hardtop coupes General Motors had introduced the previous model year. Montereys had either a canvas covered top for $2146 or vinyl for $2157. Standard features included leather faced seats, simulated leather headliner, wool carpets, chrome-plated interior garnish moldings, two-toned dashboard, special black steering wheel, fender skirts, dual outside rearview mirrors, full wheelcovers & gold winged hood ornament. For $10 more all leather seats were an option. Two special colors were offered, Turquoise Blue with dark blue top and Cortaro Red metallic with black top. Black with yellow top was also available. Few Montereys were sold.
1952-1954
Mercury got a styling and engineering redesign for 1952, such at 18% more window area.[2][4] Monterey became a separate series and Mercury's top model line, a convertible and four-door sedan were included in the new series lineup. The heater and vent controls where changed to levers and placed on a plane set perpendicular to the dash behind the steering wheel.[5] A station wagon bowed for 1953, the same year a Siren Red Monterey Convertible became Ford's forty-millionth car produced.[6] 1954 saw the introduction of the new 161 hp (120 kW) overhead valve Ford Y-block V8, as well as the bubble-top Monterey Sun Valley, which had a Plexiglas front half roof which was similar to that of the Ford Crestline Skyliner.[2] The 1954 Montereys also received other alterations, such as new, lower taillights.

                                      1939 Mercury convertible

These comments are excerps from the Wikipedia article about the Mercury cars.

In 1937, Edsel Ford started a new company, more luxurious version of his company's mainline car, intended to bridge the enormous price gap between the highest trimmed Ford and the base Lincoln. The designs of the new car were done by E.T. 'Bob' Gregorie. There was debate within the company if this new intermediate car should be a new Ford model or spun-off into a new marque. Over 100 different model and marque names were considered before "Mercury" was finally selected.^[4][5]
The 1939 Mercury 8 began production in 1938, with a 239 cu. in. 95 horsepower (71 kW; 96 PS) flathead V8 engine. Over 65,800 were sold the first year, at a price of $916 (approximately $14,000 in 2010 dollars).^[6][7] It was an all new car, sharing no body panels with either Ford or Lincoln. Its body was six inches wider than Ford and rode on a 116.0 inches (2,950 mm) wheelbase, four inches longer than Ford.
From the very beginning, Mercury was a division that seemed to have a brand identity that was constantly in the process of finding its place in the North American automotive market. Sometimes, Mercury was presented as a performance division of more mainstay Ford products, while at other times, it was meant to match sales with Detroit crosstown rivals Buick, Oldsmobile and Chrysler during the 1950s through 1980s. Many times, Mercury models shared platforms with Ford products, such as the Mercury Cougar (shared with the Ford Mustang, Thunderbird, and Elite), the Mercury Bobcat (shared with the Ford Pinto), or the Mercury Comet (shared with the Ford Falcon, Fairlane, and Maverick).

 

                                   1969 Pontiac GTO, The Judge

 

1969 Pontiac GTO

The 1969 model did not have the vent windows, had a slight grille and taillight revision, moved the ignition key from the dashboard to the steering column (which locked the steering wheel when the key was removed, a Federal requirement installed one year ahead of schedule), and the gauge faces changed from steel blue to black. In addition, the rear quarter-panel mounted side marker lamps changed from a red lens shaped like the Pontiac "V" crest to one shaped like the broad GTO badge. Front outboard headrests were made standard equipment on all GTOs built after January 1, 1969.
The previous economy engine and standard 350 hp 400 CID V8 remained, while the 360 hp (270 kW) 400HO was upgraded to the Ram Air III, rated at 366 hp (273 kW) at 5,100 rpm. The top option was the 370 hp (280 kW) Ram Air IV, which featured special header-like high-flow exhaust manifolds, high-flow cylinder heads, a specific high-rise aluminum intake manifold, larger Rochester QuadraJet four-barrel carburetor, high-lift/long-duration camshaft, plus various internal components capable of withstanding higher engine speeds and power output. Unlike the highest rpm big-block Chevy and Hemi motors, the Ram Air IV utilized hydraulic lifters.
By this time, the gross power ratings of both Ram Air engines were highly suspect, bearing less relationship to developed power and more to an internal GM policy limiting all cars except the Corvette to no more than one advertised horsepower per 10 lb (4.5 kg) of curb weight. The higher-revving Ram Air IV's advertised power peak was actually listed at 5,000 rpm—100 rpm lower than the less-powerful Ram Air III.
The Ram Air V (500+ HP) engine was introduced in 1969 to professional racing, not for sale to the general public except as conversion parts, and not in cars in showrooms, and was sold and delivered in a crate. It was a special 400 4-bolt main block with newly designed high compression tunnel port heads, radical cam, and a special high rise intake manifold. A prototype GTO so equipped could go 0–60 mph in 5.7 seconds or less, and the usual quarter-mile time of 13's seconds at 101.76 mph was lessened to 11's at 123 mph (198 km/h). Ram Air Vs were not installed in GTOs at the factory.
The most significant event of 1969 for the GTO was the launch of a new model called "The Judge". The Judge name came from a comedy routine, "Here Come de Judge", used repeatedly on the Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In TV show. The Judge routine, made popular by legendary showman Sammy Davis, Jr., was borrowed from the act of long-time burlesque entertainer Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham. Advertisements used slogans like "All rise for The Judge" and "The Judge can be bought". As originally conceived, the Judge was to be a low-cost GTO, stripped of some gimmicks to make it competitive with the Plymouth Road Runner. The package was US$332^[7] more expensive than a standard GTO, and included the Ram Air III engine, Rally II wheels without trim rings, Hurst shifter (with a unique T-shaped handle), wider tires, various decals, and a rear spoiler. Pontiac claimed that the spoiler had some functional effect at higher speeds, producing a small but measurable downforce, but it was of little value at legal speeds except for style. The Judge was initially offered only in "Carousel Red", but midway into the model year a variety of other colors became available.
The GTO was surpassed in sales both by the Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 and the Plymouth Road Runner, but 72,287 were sold during the 1969 model year, with 6,833 of them being The Judge. The rarest 1969 GTO, omitting color options, was the Ram Air IV Judge Convertible - only five were built (Year One catalog).

 

 

                              1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427 Convertible

The following data is taken from a much larger Wikipedia article from a Google search. Many of the articles associated with the cars on this blog come from the Wikipedia articles and sometimes from other free lable sources. I am concientiously trying to avoid infringing anyone's copywrited or private data.

1967 Chevrolet corvette

The second generation (C2) Corvette, commonly referred to as the Sting Ray, was smaller than the first generation and was later referred to as mid-years.[13] The car was designed by Larry Shinoda with major inspiration from a previous concept design called the "Q Corvette," which was created by Peter Brock and Chuck Pohlmann under the styling direction of Bill Mitchell.[14] Earlier, Mitchell had sponsored a car known as the "Mitchell Sting Ray" in 1959 because Chevrolet no longer participated in factory racing. This vehicle had the largest impact on the styling of this generation, although it had no top and did not give away what the final version of the C2 would look like.[15] The third inspiration was a Mako Shark Mitchell had caught while deep-sea fishing.[16]

Production started for the 1963 model year and ended in 1967. Introducing a new name, "Sting Ray", the 1963 model was the first year for a Corvette coupé and it featured a distinctive tapering rear deck (a feature that later reappeared on the 1971 "Boattail" Buick Riviera) with, for 1963 only, a split rear window. The Sting Ray featured hidden headlamps, non-functional hood vents, and an independent rear suspension.[17] Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov never liked the split rear window because it blocked rear vision, but Mitchell thought it to be a key part of the entire design. Maximum power for 1963 was 360 bhp (270 kW) and was raised to 375 bhp (280 kW) in 1964. Options included electronic ignition, the breakerless magnetic pulse-triggered Delcotronic first offered on some 1963 Pontiac models.[18] On 1964 models the decorative hood vents were eliminated and Duntov, the Corvette's chief engineer, got his way with the split rear window changed to a full width window

1970 Plymouth GTX

                               1970 Plymouth GTX


The 1970 GTX received a minor redesign (new grille and rear taillights) but sales still suffered as the car did not look much different from the Road Runner. Stylists made the lines smoother, and a "power bulge" hood was introduced, as well as non-functional rear brake air scoops. The convertible model was dropped in 1970. The Air Grabber hood was brought back, but instead of having two narrow openings running length-wise as in 1969, it had one opening scoop located on the power bulge. The GTX was available with the standard 440 4 barrel, as well as the 440+6 barrel (three two barrel carburetors) and the 426 Hemi. The 440+6 could compete closely with the Hemi, up to highway speeds. In keeping with the GTX marketing strategy, the 1970 model included many standard features. The only other Plymouth luxury/performance model was the full-size Sport Fury GT, built on the C-Body platform. The GT was added to the lineup in 1970. The GT received nowhere near the recognition of the GTX, even though they shared many performance features. The Sport Fury GT was the full-size member of The Rapid Transit System. The Sport Fury GT was often viewed as more of a mature gentleman's performance luxury car.